


The Meadow

by edriss



Category: Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Book: New Moon, F/M, Fluff, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-01
Updated: 2020-12-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:53:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,524
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27810319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edriss/pseuds/edriss
Summary: What if Bella and Jake found the meadow together?
Relationships: Jacob Black/Bella Swan
Comments: 5
Kudos: 33





	The Meadow

"Hey I think this is it!" Jacob's voice rang through the forest as he disappeared from sight. Bella severely doubted that he stumbled upon her magic meadow and almost felt guilty for this whole adventure. But his voice was bright and cheerful as usual and what could she do but follow him? It took her a few minutes to struggle up the little hill and push past some fallen vines. Finally, she stepped out into a clearing that did not look anything like the meadow she remembered.

It was barren -- yellowed and trodden grass everywhere and not a single flower in sight. Her eyes swept over the area looking for anything that might be familiar as her mouth formed a deeper and deeper frown. Finally, having turned in a circle, her eyes landed on Jacob. He was smiling from ear to ear, fine baby hairs flying away from his face, his pony tail looser than when they started this hike, and somehow this all fit him perfectly. Bella wondered if she looked a mess, her own face flushed with exertion and her hair untamed. She wouldn't know it by the look on Jake's face. Her frown evened out to almost a smile just staring at him. She couldn't help it -- his smile was contagious.

"So?" he asked, spreading his arms out wide to indicate the field. "Did we find it?"

"I'm not sure," Bella allowed, biting her lip and looking away from him. She couldn't stand to stare at him anymore, so full of hope and sunshine, when she felt her heart breaking. This was definitely the same place but it lacked all the magic it held the last time she was here. Clearly Edward was the magic and this meadow was only a place with no special meaning. And worst of all, his voice wasn't even here to comfort her.

Suddenly, she felt arms wrapped tightly around her middle and she gasped as her feet left the ground. Jacob responded with laughter as he twirled her around in his arms. The dead meadow zipped by, titling and twirling as he held her tightly. This was the last thing she expected. Jake was laughing, the sound reverberating in his chest and she felt the vibrations in her back. Between his laughter and the spinning, Bella began to giggle. Soon, the only thing she could hear was his laugh and her own heart beating.

"Stop, stop! Put me down!" she finally cried before she felt too dizzy. He set her down and his hands lingered at her waist as she regained her balance. His hands were impossibly warm, the warmth soaking through her sweatshirt. Bella couldn't stop the smile on her face now as she caught her breath, hand pressed against her chest and her thudding heart.

"Aw, come on Bells, just trying to make you laugh." She finally turned to face him and it was like looking directly at the sun. Heat radiated off of his entire body, his grin was pure light, but this time Bella didn't look away. Instead she gaped openly, taking in the way he lit up this field. The last time she was here, Edward's skin sparkled in the sunlight but today Jacob _was_ the sunlight and she felt grateful to be here with him. He suddenly looked embarrassed, averting his eyes to the ground and giving a little chuckle before swinging his backpack off his back and to the ground. "Well," he cleared his throat and changed the subject in a very un-Jacob-like way. "I have the perfect thing for the occasion." From his bag, he produced two cans of soda. He offered one to her and Bella had to take a step closer to take it from his hands. Not knowing what else to do, she promptly sat in the dead grass.

"Sit," she ordered. "And let's toast." She cracked open her soda, the _tshhk_ of the tab cracking the can was loud in the silence of this meadow. Jake plopped on the ground next to her and tipped his coke can towards hers. 

"What're we toasting?"

"Completing the mission" she suggested with a shrug. "You not letting me get lost in the woods." That made her heart hurt a little so she continued quickly. "An adventure." They clinked and both took a sip. 

"The first of many," he added, his smile still bright but maybe a little more guarded. 

"Maybe we'll do something less physically taxing," Bella agreed. The coke was warm, of course, having been carried in the backpack all day. The air was cool, though, and a light breeze swept over the two of them, ruffling their hair on the way. Once, she called him sort of beautiful and that was very true in this moment as well. Jacob didn't know how beautiful he was, didn't know how happy he looked, how happy he made her. Bella was falling apart all the time except when she was with him. "Thank you." When he looked at her a little quizzically, she continued. "For helping me find this place."

"Is it exactly as you remember?"

"No," she admitted. "Last time it was …" Bella couldn't put into words what last time felt like. And suddenly, she didn't want to. She came here to hear something, feel something. She felt bad about that and didn't want the thought to ruin her current mood. "But I'm still glad we found it."

"Yeah, gotta say it's not much to look at, Bells." He probably wondered why she was so obsessed with this place but Jacob was observant and smart, he might have figured it out. "And a little out of the way for a picnic." 

She pushed at his shoulders but her strength wasn't even enough to send him rocking back. " _I'm_ sorry. Next time I'll just come alone."

"Hey hey! I didn't say that. Just maybe we could look for things a little closer to home. I'm probably going to have to carry you out of here!"

They were both laughing and smiling, their voices lifting up over the trees and fading into the forest. Everything about this was different than when she was here with Edward -- but then, everything about Jacob was different than Edward. Bella thought that meant she didn't love Jake or that he couldn't love her but maybe it was just in a different way. Different didn't mean worse. Did it?

The sky above them turned orange as the sun began to set. Bella jumped to her feet.

"Charlie is going to kill me! You can't tell him we came out here." Jacob also got off the ground but looked questioningly at her. "I'm kinda not supposed to go into the woods because of the bears."

"Oh the bears killing and eating people in Forks?" Jake laughed as he gathered their empty cans and shouldered his bag once again.

"Yes! So when your dad asks what you did all day, just tell him we went, I don't know, driving."

"Driving. Real convincing, Bella." Jake stood with his hands on his backpack straps just looking at her. She tried to look firm.

"Please, Jacob."

He reached out one hand and she thought he meant to take hers to lead her out of the meadow so Bella offered her own. Once his fingers clasped around hers, he tugged hard enough to make her stumble until she was up against his body. He hugged her tightly and again, she felt his laugh in his chest.

"Of course, Bells. Anything for you." His words were soft -- softer than the moment called for and she felt his lips move against her hair. She separated herself a little from him so she could look up at his face. They were both silent then, looking at each other. She saw him swallow, his Adam's apple bobbing obviously. In another life, where she had never loved before, Bella might have lifted her chin to invite him to kiss her. But just because she had loved so purely before, did that mean she couldn't try to love again? Maybe she needed to stop letting things just _happen_. So, Bella did lift her chin just a tiny bit and he did take that as a sign.

With his arms securely around her waist, Jacob leaned his head down and lightly kissed her on the lips. It was soft and sweet and warm and she felt that warmth spread through her whole body. But it was also very fast. Her eyes barely fluttered closed when she felt him moving away. She reopened them to see him smiling at her.

"Come on, we can think of a better excuse on the way back." He let her go and Bella realized he'd been holding most of her weight so she had to readjust to standing on her own. That was nothing at all like kissing Edward. As they passed through the brush back into the thick of the forest, Bella realized that she didn't feel that crack in her chest when he kissed her. She touched her fingers to her breastbone in wonder. 

Different didn't mean worse, right?


End file.
